Health Watch: Update your workout gear

Tip of the WeekAs the year goes on, routines get stale and equipment wears out. Keep your fitness regimen fresh by updating your workout gear. Try these:Proper footwear - A pair of shoes designed for one activity won’t necessarily work for another, so select the appropriate style for each. For example, if you run, the American Podiatric Medical Association recommends you find shoes that properly fit your arches. Or if you play basketball, shoes with better support on the outside of the foot help prevent turned or twisted ankles.Activity monitor - Fitness activity trackers are a great help for those who want to monitor their workouts and track progress. These tools send real-time fitness information — such as calories burned, steps taken, speed and other data — directly to a wristband display and/or cloud-based tracker. Many offer the ability to wirelessly sync with your smartphone, as well.— Brandpoint

Number to Know60%: Of adults classified as obese, 60 percent are not currently taking steps to lose weight, according to a 2012 National Health and Wellness survey.— Brandpoint

Children’s HealthA report published recently by the Environmental Working Group says children may be consuming too much of certain vitamins and minerals from some fortified cereals.The EWG reported that most children eat more than one serving of cereal in a sitting, often meeting or exceeding the daily recommended limit of vitamin A, zinc and/or niacin even without consuming any other foods or taking a daily multivitamin.— CNN.com

Senior HealthAbout half of American seniors suffer from some form of incontinence at least occasionally, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. That figure climbs to 75.8 percent among long-term nursing home residents.Nursing home residents aged 85 or more were 1.5 times more likely than those aged 65 to 74 to experience such issues.

New ResearchInterrupted sleep can be as physically detrimental as no sleep at all, researchers found in a new study published in the journal “Sleep Medicine.” Investigators from Tel Aviv University’s School of Psychological Sciences discovered a link between interrupted sleep patterns and compromised cognitive abilities, shortened attention spans and negative moods. Interrupted sleep is equivalent to no more than four consecutive hours of sleep, the study found.— ScienceDaily.com